Not exactly full of hot takes here, just bang-on dependable acts, from alt-rock to full-on techno, life-affirming hip-hop, politically-engaged electronics and industrial ultraviolence. Death Grips (Rankin’s Wood, Sunday, 9-10pm) California trio Death Grips are one […]
For years, Electric Picnic has been pointing out that it’s more than just a music festival, and every year they double down on this USP as Ireland’s main music and arts festival that rivals any […]
GZA is in Dublin for three days for a showcase of his 1995 album Liquid Swords – the greatest of all the solo Wu-Tang clan releases, and a true hip-hop hall of fame record. Liquid […]
From punk provocateur to post-punk pioneer, John Lydon has been one of the most singular and divisive figures in popular music for over 40 years – and he reckons he’s got 40 more where that […]
GZA/GENIUS: The Sugar Club, Dublin, Sunday, Monday & Tuesday, €27.50 The number of side projects, solo albums and guest appearances in the Wu-Tang Clan universe is head-melting, but GZA’s 1995 album Liquid Swords is one […]
In an interview recently, John Lydon somewhat ambitiously told me he’d been in the music game for over 40 years – and he’s still got 40 years left. And even though for many he’ll always […]
SLUM VILLAGE, Monroes Live, Galway, Thursday, €20; The Sugar Club, Dublin, Friday week, €20 Detroit act Slum Village have one of the richest legacies in underground hip-hop, as the late MC and genius producer J […]
Too often, festivals boast of their idyllic settings, when the big reveal is actually a fenced-off stately home, fairy light forest trails and installations not much better than a load of dream catchers. We hit […]
Few artists can boast about changing the face of music, but Jimmy Cliff was there at the crossroads at two points in reggae’s growth into a global movement. In 1972, Cliff starred in the ‘first […]
ARIEL PINK: Button Factory, Dublin, Thursday, €22 Ariel Pink says his work is “a weird art experiment”, which is the most perfect description for the genre-flitting left-field indie hero. The LA singer-songwriter has released 12 […]
From the Amazon rainforest to a thousand miles of tropical beaches; the metropolis of São Paulo; Pele, Socrates, Josimar; Rio-bloody-de-Janeiro — and to think I grew up never really being that bothered about Brazil. There […]
It takes some nerve to start up a new festival in Ireland these days, but even with all the moans of over-saturation, there’s still room for one more if it’s done right. All Together Now […]
When it comes to the August bank holiday weekend it really is a punter’s market, with almost too much choice, and Beatyard up against veteran festivals like Castlepalooza and Indiependence, and the new venture All […]
Shitposting black metal to punch Nazis to, acid techno, ramshackle punk, space disco, bedroom pop, mechanised grime R&B, and some ambient drones to make it all better. The soundtrack of July 2018… 1. Khalab – […]
Most festivals in Ireland or the UK boast about their wonderful setting, usually in the grounds of some stately home that’s fenced off from the session ruffians. It probably makes sense – protecting against the elements, […]
Moo Kid 